1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an electrodeposition process and product using molds of objects. The invention is particularly useful for producing multiple, duplicate works of art.
2. Description of the Related Art
Electrodeposition or electroplating, in the prior art, involves the vertical plating onto or coating of an object. The object is placed into an electroplating bath, and metal from the anode and solution in the bath migrates to the object, thereby coating the object. The object may be the substrate for the electroplate or it may be removed; in any event, the outer coating (the plating layer furthest from the object) is the visual coating which is desired to be obtained. Prior art electroplating processes do not contemplate utilizing the inside coating layer (the plating surface or layer) which coats immediately onto the object, as the final or visual layer. Similarly, prior art plating processes do not contemplate plating molds in a horizontal position.
Metal sculpture is typically produced in the art by a lost-wax casting process where an original artwork is molded, the mold is filled with wax, plaster or ceramic is placed around the wax, the wax is burned out of the plaster or ceramic mold, molten metal is poured into the plaster or ceramic mold, and the mold is removed from the metal. This process is very time-consuming and expensive and requires substantial finishing of the final surface. Also, the molten metal has a viscosity which prevents the metal from fitting exactly into the mold configuration, thus causing the fine detail on the original artwork to be lost. Electroplated or electroformed artwork, in the prior art, involves using original substrates or objects to produce each product. Use of electrodeposition in combination with molds, as in the current invention, allows for making duplicate works of art having greater detail than castings, for a fraction of the cost and labor.